Interesting Observation about Trump by Ann Althouse

brinny · Aug 22, 2019

JIMINZ said:
Nobody could be "THAT" dumb.

Wait a min. I resemble that remark.

Now you gotta edit your quote in post #15.

Occams Barber · Aug 22, 2019

brinny said:
Well thank you both....

that was my intention.

You're welcome.

I also think the purple complexion accentuates your eyes.

OB

Occams Barber · Aug 22, 2019

tulc said:
Althouse: Trump and pop culture
found it.
tulc(likes finding things when curious)

Thanks Tulc :wave:

OB

brinny · Aug 22, 2019

Occams Barber said:
You're welcome.

I also think the purple complexion accentuates your eyes.
OB

Thank you. How kind of you to notice.

brinny · Aug 22, 2019

tulc said:
Althouse: Trump and pop culture
found it.
tulc(likes finding things when curious)

Thanks tulc.

Peter J Barban · Aug 22, 2019

Occams Barber said:
I'm sure your quote is accurate but it's usual to add a link to the quote source so readers can also see the context in which the quote was made and published.
OB

In many post Althouse uses "purple prose". I don't want any moderator trouble from posting a link to Althouse.com

Peter J Barban · Aug 22, 2019

There is a disappointing lack of substance from many on this thread. How about discussing the OP observation?

Occams Barber · Aug 23, 2019

Peter J Barban said:
There is a disappointing lack of substance from many on this thread. How about discussing the OP observation?

I think @JIMINZ may have said all there was to say in Post#2.

His brevity and withering intellectual analysis, combined with his Common Man observation, was for me, quite frankly, a revelation.

I doubt that any of us could, constructively, add more.

OB

FreeinChrist · Aug 23, 2019

Peter J Barban said:
"ADDED: It's funny — Trump haters are always saying that Trump makes everything all about him. But Barbaro and Herndon are perceiving that Trump rallies are about the people... the people who love Trump. And maybe they love Trump because he creates a space in which they can love themselves. That's why the slogan is "Make America Great Again" (or "Keep America Great").

(Meanwhile, the Democratic Party idea seems to be "America = racism.")"
====================================================
**Note Althouse is a retired law professor and center-left democrat.

You should link to where you are quoting from. Or say where it is from.

No, Althouse is not a center-left Democrat. On her blog site, her page about herself says she has no political affiliation, has an aversion to politics and has never donated to a candidate.

Tom 1 · Aug 23, 2019

Peter J Barban said:
And maybe they love Trump because he creates a space in which they can love themselves.

I think this is insightful. It seems that Trump, like some of our current politicians in the UK, validates the fears of people living in a changing world they don’t want to have to deal with. He tells them it’s ok to want everything to go back to how it was at some time in the past, maybe the world as depicted in Kerouac’s Town and City, or at least to a time when they were the clear majority. It’s understandable of course, just unrealistic. It fuels a fantasy that has no real place in a changing world. Trump also shares the same lack of interest in what is going on in the world with many of his supporters, it’s far easier to dismiss anything you don’t like with the kind of fairytale like worldview of the conspiracy theorist, where everyone who doesn’t fit in to the picture of how you want the world to be is a big baddy, and Trump is more than happy to play the part of conspiracy fantasy saviour, making all the frightening change go away. Honestly I think people buy into it because they are scared, and other politicians have done little to address their fears about a changing local and global environment.
I don’t get the part about him not being a ‘politician’ though. He may not be a very good politician, in a professional sense, but by nature that is exactly what it is. He lies at the drop of a hat (or before the hat has even left the hand), is an expert manipulator and he’ll do anything to stay in power. Not a politician? Well, he behaves like one.

Occams Barber · Aug 23, 2019

Tom Farebrother said:
I think this is insightful. It seems that Trump, like some of our current politicians in the UK, validates the fears of people living in a changing world they don’t want to have to deal with. He tells them it’s ok to want everything to go back to how it was at some time in the past, maybe the world as depicted in Kerouac’s Town and City, or at least to a time when they were the clear majority. It’s understandable of course, just unrealistic. It fuels a fantasy that has no real place in a changing world. Trump also shares the same lack of interest in what is going on in the world with many of his supporters, it’s far easier to dismiss anything you don’t like with the kind of fairytale like worldview of the conspiracy theorist, where everyone who doesn’t fit in to the picture of how you want the world to be is a big baddy, and Trump is more than happy to play the part of conspiracy fantasy saviour, making all the frightening change go away. Honestly I think people buy into it because they are scared, and other politicians have done little to address their fears about a changing local and global environment.
I don’t get the part about him not being a ‘politician’ though. He may not be a very good politician, in a professional sense, but by nature that is exactly what it is. He lies at the drop of a hat (or before the hat has even left the hand), is an expert manipulator and he’ll do anything to stay in power. Not a politician? Well, he behaves like one.

Like you, I'm looking at the Trump phenomenon from the outside. I tend to agree with virtually all you've said. I also suspect that Trump's presidency is accidental. I suspect he was initially 'playing' at being a candidate when he accidentally and unknowingly hit on the populist approach which has now become his standard modus operandi. He appears to be severely lacking the intellectual smarts for actually governing but has sufficient instinctive understanding of the crowd to be able to cover his lack of competence. Effectively he mirrors the attitudes and behaviour of a significant component of the electorate minimising any sense of the intellectual eliteness which appears to be so despised by less informed voters.

I suspect that it's only the basic inertia of the US government combined with some advisor foot dragging which is taking the edge off Trump's more dangerous decisions.
OB

Peter J Barban · Aug 23, 2019

Occams Barber said:
I think @JIMINZ may have said all there was to say in Post#2.

His brevity and withering intellectual analysis, combined with his Common Man observation, was for me, quite frankly, a revelation.

I doubt that any of us could, constructively, add more.
OB

This seems like an easy strategy to replicate assuming one actually likes/respects the voters/nation.

FreeinChrist said:
You should link to where you are quoting from. Or say where it is from.

No, Althouse is not a center-left Democrat. On her blog site, her page about herself says she has no political affiliation, has an aversion to politics and has never donated to a candidate.

I have been reading her blog every day for over a decade. She is definitely center-left.

stevil · Aug 23, 2019

Occams Barber said:
I also suspect that Trump's presidency is accidental. I suspect he was initially 'playing' at being a candidate when he accidentally and unknowingly hit on the populist approach which has now become his standard modus operandi.

I think Trump would make a great "shock Jock". Everything he says it is an attempt to grab attention. He's controversial and he's willing to double down and then double down some more.
Great for radio, but not really great for leading a country of diverse people.
He's great at criticising, great at pointing the blame,
But when it comes down to it, he is much better at complaining than doing something about it.

He' not really achieving much, just kicking up a storm.

cow451 · Aug 23, 2019

JIMINZ said:
I thought so, that is why I said it, glad to see you agree!
Although a Like or Winner would have sufficed.

Your awareness of the obvious is as bad as poorboy Donald’s.

cow451 · Aug 23, 2019

stevil said:
I think Trump would make a great "shock Jock". Everything he says it is an attempt to grab attention. He's controversial and he's willing to double down and then double down some more.
Great for radio, but not really great for leading a country of diverse people.
He's great at criticising, great at pointing the blame,
But when it comes down to it, he is much better at complaining than doing something about it.

He' not really achieving much, just kicking up a storm.

Being a shock jock would require an actual sense of humor and a command of the English language. Trump has neither.

cow451 · Aug 23, 2019

Peter J Barban said:
There is a disappointing lack of substance from many on this thread. How about discussing the OP observation?

You mean about insulting blue collar Americans by favorably comparing them to a lying, cheating, stealing, grifter?

stevil · Aug 23, 2019

cow451 said:
Being a shock jock would require an actual sense of humor and a command of the English language. Trump has neither.

His base thinks he's funny

They think he speaks what is on their mind

This is exactly what fans of shock jocks say

Speedwell · Aug 23, 2019

"And maybe they love Trump because he creates a space in which they can love themselves."

And I don't think the Dems get it. They don't have any idea either how much that "deplorable" comment is still costing them. But big brother made good has come back to town and he's gonna whomp 'em for it.

cow451 · Aug 23, 2019

stevil said:
His base thinks he's funny
They think he speaks what is on their mind
This is exactly what fans of shock jocks say

Maybe them Dems need to run Howard Stern. His IQ is easily 20 points higher than Trump.

KCfromNC · Aug 23, 2019

JIMINZ said:
Great Picture don't you think?
Good looking family right?

Kinda incomplete. It leaves out his ex-wives and all the kids he had with them.

Interesting Observation about Trump by Ann Althouse

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